The defect
MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1999-2002 M-CLASS AND MODEL YEAR 2000-2003 M-CLASS AMG VEHICLES. THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES ALLOWS THE DRIVER TO DISENGAGE THE SYSTEM IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, INCLUDING TAPPING THE BRAKE PEDAL, USING THE CRUISE CONTROL STALK, OR BRAKING THE VEHICLE ENOUGH TO REACH A CERTAIN RATE OF DECELERATION. MERCEDES-BENZ HAS DETERMINED THAT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES USE OF THE BRAKE PEDAL MAY NOT AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGE CRUISE CONTROL AS EXPECTED BY THE DRIVER, ALTHOUGH THE OTHER MEANS OF DEACTIVATING CRUISE CONTROL REMAIN FULLY OPERATIVE. SPECIFICALLY, WHERE THE DRIVER PUMPS THE BRAKES RATHER THAN APPLYING CONSISTENT PEDAL FORCE, THE LEVEL OF FORCE REQUIRED MAY BE UNUSUALLY HIGH.
The risk
DIFFICULTY OR DELAY IN DISENGAGING CRUISE CONTROL CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN DURING OCTOBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Components: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 1999 | 18 | 4 |
| Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 2000 | 25 | 5 |
| Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 2001 | 5 | 4 |
| Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 2002 | 5 | 5 |
| Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 2003 | 10 | 3 |
Other vehicle speed control recalls in 2011
7 of the 597 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2011 concerned the vehicle speed control; MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. filed 55 campaigns in all.
| 11V516000 17 Oct 2011 | SPARTAN CHASSIS, INC. |
| 11V415000 15 Aug 2011 | ISUZU MANUFACTURING SERVICES OF AMERICA |
| 11V255000 26 Apr 2011 | PIERCE MANUFACTURING |
| 11V112000 24 Feb 2011 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V115000 24 Feb 2011 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V113000 24 Feb 2011 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2011